Random Dungeons and Dragons Inspired Story
So I haven't submitted much over the last few months, and I really regret that. I have tried to find the time, but life has been rather busy for me lately. I have gotten some control over my life now, and I hope I can upload more frequently, and I will do my best to keep that promise. Anyhow, this a short little story that I decided to do because I wanted to try some action writing again. I hope everyone enjoys it, and you should know its source from the title. Please comment and tell me what worked, and what didn't. Enjoy! :D
"Taleris, behind you!" the wolf yowled, raising her crossbow up, placing the stock into her shoulder, and taking aim.
The leopard heard his ally's cry, and he reacted with lightning-like alacrity. With a bounding leap, he burst forward, landing and pivoting on the ball of his foot. An arrow raced through the darkness presiding over the room, seeking for the feline's heart.
"No you don't!" the wolf snarled, releasing a bolt from her crossbow. The projectile sped forward at a prodigious speed, and a blue white nexus of energy wreathed around the bolt's tip. The shot was sailing through the room for only a second, before the energy spread outwards, enveloping the air around it.
The projectile neared the unknown assailant's shot, and when the bolt entered the energy nexus, its momentum immediately slowed, until both bolts fell to the ground, inert.
Taleris looked over at the wolf, giving her a nod of gratefulness. He then closed his eyes for a second, his paws rippling with red energy. A long sword swept up from his waist and danced into his paw, just in time to swipe away a second bolt fired at him from the shadows.
"Show yourself," the leopard called in a voice so calm that it belied his perilous situation. His long sword, crafted of fine, ornate steel.
No response came to the warrior as he looked around the room. There was a slight scuffling, the sound of metal scraping on wood, and from the shadows burst six crossbow bolts. The female wolf's eyes widened in fear, and she quickly loaded a bolt, taking aim.
By the time the wolfess, Karston, had her weapon loaded, the projectiles were already upon Taleris. He swept the sword around his body in two broad swipes, and a field of force rippled in the air around him. With a thrust, the warrior pierced the near-intangible field, and as soon as the sword tip pierced the spatial disturbance, the projectiles were repelled and hit the wall.
"Very well then. I go to you," the swordmage proclaimed with a light chuckle.
The wolf seized on the opportunity her feline friend had afforded her. She tapped her crossbow, causing brilliantly bright runes to shimmer along her weapon. She fired, right over the shoulder, the bolt separating into a set of five smaller bolts, each one shining with a crimson glow.
The walls shook as they were rocked with a pentad of violent explosions. The shadows were swept away by the burning flames. Revealed in the darkness were a group of small, scaly kobolds. Some of them were knocked to the ground by the force, but a few of them readied their weapons, releasing another salvo towards the two larger humanoids.
Taleris easily deflected the bolts that rushed towards him, but a third arced over his shoulder, headed straight for his ally. His eyes glimmered briefly as they locked on the shooter, and in less time than it took for the creature to blink, the leopard's sword was plunged deep into its shoulder.
Karston ducked and tumbled, evading the projectile that came her way. She aimed and released a bolt, hitting her target, a small kobold that was reloading his crossbow, with lethal accuracy. She saw her ally slay one of the reptilian monsters, and saw one of his adversaries draw a knife. She quickly reached for her waist, pulled out a dagger, and sent it flying at the monster.
With a turnabout motion, the swordmage parried his enemy's dagger. He readied his blade, but before he could counterattack, Karston's dagger found its mark. With the blade embedded in its chest, the kobold dropped to his knees. A burst of electricity rippled from the dagger, and with a guttural scream of pain, it hit the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
With a shriek, one of the kobold shooters ordered his fellows to fire on the leopard. In such close quarters, the leopard had hardly any time to react, and though he swept away two fo the shots, a third sliced past his ankle, grazing his furred flesh and drawing a line of blood.
Telaris grimaced, his tail twitching in frustration. He lurched backwards, raised his blade over his head, and brought it crashing down. A coursing burst of green energy shot straight at the leader, colliding into him and tearing him apart. His allies drew their weapons, but a pair of crossbow bolts hit them in their necks.
With all his fellows slain, the final kobold let out a screech of defiance. With a tumbling motion, he rolled past the swordmage, drawing a pair of daggers from his belt. By the time the leopard looked down and thrust his blade forward at his adversary, it had already sunk the blades into his leg.
"No! Telaris!" Karston cried, rushing forward and drawing a mace from her side. The swordmage yowled in pain, and he weakly slashed at the kobolod, which easily dodged the weakened attack.
"Sko ratu mvdera!" the monster howled, tauntingly weaving between the swordmage's legs. He reached for his dead companion's short sword, sweeping it up and driving it into the feline's backside.
The scream that should have come from the swordmage's mouth never came. The blood that should have been drawn by the blade did not appear. Instead, the feline's body rippled and shimmered, seeming to fade out of existence.
Alarmed, the kobold emitted a growl. He spun around and met Telaris' blade, shimmering with green energy once again. The monster snarled in agony, before it was blown across the room, with a gaping hole in its chest.
Karston sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing as she paced over to her ally. "Don't scare me like that, Tel. I was worried for a moment."
The leopard flashed his ally a pleasant smile. "Well you can still worried about the bolt I took in the ankle. That one did hit me."
Karston rolled her eyes and gave the swordmage a playful punch on the shoulder. "Alright, Tel. But from now on, don't be so cocky. You'll get yourself killed."
Telaris grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "There are worse things to die of, Karston."